The mobile food truck craze that is sweeping the country is also having a major impact among local craft breweries, as the two are finding synergies with their customers who appreciate the artisanal side of food and beer.

"We want to create a culinary experience and not just fill people's bellies with food," said Justin Burlingame, owner of Carlsbad-based Red Oven. He tows his 900-degree wood-fired oven to several local breweries, including The Lost Abbey, Iron Fist, Latitude 33 and Stumblefoot, to serve up made-to-order pizzas and calzones. "What we have found in craft beer drinkers is they are not looking for an easy way to get inebriated. They're at breweries to experience a good product and enjoy life with their friends."

Kevin Hopkins, hospitality manager for The Lost Abbey, said customer demand for these food trucks has increased significantly over the past year ---- he has some vendors booked through the rest of the year.

"If we don't have a truck here on a Friday or Saturday, our customers will let us know immediately," Hopkins said. "There's now an expectation."

At Oceanside Ale Works, the brewery brings in about a dozen trucks on a rotating basis, ranging from Thai food to desserts. At its sixth anniversary party last Saturday, four trucks were on site.

"Our slightly fanatical fans like an outstanding brew and an extremely wide variety," owner Mark Purciel said in an email. "Their taste buds do not stop at beer. So it would be foolish to assume that our folks would not love an outstanding and wide variety of chow."

And it doesn't stop at variety. Some food trucks not only collaborate with the breweries on menu items for food pairings, they even cook with the brewery's beer, whether it's in a braising sauce, special mustard or soup.

"Making beer, the brewing process, is in fact cooking," said Hopkins. "There's no difference from the recipes you create in a kitchen. It's a natural progression. If you're going to have great food and great beer, why not bring the two together?"

Back in March, The Lost Abbey held a food truck competition with 11 vendors that benefited Meals on Wheels. And each Wednesday, the San Marcos brewery brings in new food trucks for customers to try. Crepes Bonaparte, an Orange County-based truck which was featured during the first season of the "Great Food Truck Race" on the Food Network, visited the brewery twice last week.

"It's great that we can give people a reason to stay," said Tomme Arthur, The Lost Abbey's co-founder and director of brewery operations. "People want to stay, but they want to do it responsibly, and I think the food truck angle is a great way to do that. Not having food is not a good idea these days. We need to give our customers a chance to put a little food in their belly so they can move on to the next brewery and have a little more food there. It's a gated way to go about tasting, and I'm in favor of it."